ITU Member States Set Global Strategy in Baku to Connect the World, Targeting 2.2 Billion Offline

ITU Member States Set Global Strategy in Baku to Connect the World, Targeting 2.2 Billion Offline

During the conference, the ITU also issued the Global Connectivity Report 2025, which offers recommendations to accelerate progress toward universal and meaningful connectivity. 

RMN Digital News
New Delhi | November 29, 2025

Baku, Azerbaijan – 28 November 2025

Member States of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) successfully concluded the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25) in Baku, Azerbaijan, today, by agreeing on a comprehensive roadmap designed to bring digital benefits to people across the globe.

The key outcome of the conference, the Baku Action Plan, sets the global agenda for human-centered digital development, driven by telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICTs). The plan spans four years, from 2026 to 2029, and supports efforts to advance universal, meaningful and affordable digital connectivity for an inclusive and sustainable digital future.

The new strategy is urgently needed, as an estimated 2.2 billion people worldwide are still offline. The focus of the Baku Action Plan is specifically on the needs of developing countries, underserved communities, and vulnerable populations.

“WTDC-25 has brought us closer to our goal of making connectivity universal, meaningful and affordable for everyone, everywhere in this decade,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. She affirmed that the Baku Declaration and Action Plan serves as the roadmap towards “human-centred digital development that leaves no one behind”.

The two-week conference, organized by the ITU and hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan, brought together approximately 2,000 participants representing 153 Member States and the State of Palestine. Azerbaijan’s Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, noted that Baku became the place where Member States and partners agreed on practical outcomes to guide ITU’s development work for the next four years, citing the adoption of the Baku Declaration which references the COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action.

Bridging the Digital Divide

The Baku Action Plan is the principal outcome document of WTDC-25, detailing new and revised resolutions and recommendations for ITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D). The plan also sets out new initiatives addressing key digital development priorities across ITU-D regions.

Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Bureau of Telecommunication Development, emphasized that the outcomes reflect the needs and priorities of the membership in a “forward-looking and results-oriented agenda for digital development and impact”. He further explained that the Plan outlines the roadmap to bridge the remaining digital divides, specifically addressing the unique requirements of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

During the conference, the ITU also issued the Global Connectivity Report 2025, which offers recommendations to accelerate progress toward universal and meaningful connectivity. This report provides policy guidance, detailed analysis, and measurement frameworks across essential connectivity dimensions: quality, availability, affordability, devices, skills, and security.

Partnerships for Development

The WTDC-25 also facilitated several new agreements to promote digital inclusion. These signed projects include:

• A two-year project with Australia to enhance the sustainability of national Smart Villages and Smart Islands programs in the Asia-Pacific region, designed to enhance digital skills and access to digital services for rural communities. This project will directly benefit seven countries and 3,000 people.
• A project with Intersputnik to promote capacity building and digital skills in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, benefitting 300 professionals in satellite communications and broadcasting technologies.
• A new partnership with the Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority of Senegal to strengthen gender-inclusive digital trade, empowering young women entrepreneurs in textile and food processing with digital and soft skills.

Furthermore, reflecting the challenge of digital divides mirroring economic development hurdles, WTDC-25 included a High-Level Dialogue for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, where these countries shared their plans to expand broadband coverage and advance people-centered sustainable development.